Cloning Technology Essays - Cloning, Molecular Biology, Genetics

Cloning Technology Technology is changing the world as we know it. Not all of these advances in technology are viewed as positive. One of the breakthroughs that has received mixed responses is the issue of cloning. There has been much debate on this topic, and the debate is certain to rage on for many years to come. You may be asking yourself: What is cloning? How can I benefit from cloning? Is cloning legal? Why should we clone human beings? What is the world community doing to control cloning? I hope to answer these and other questions throughout the course of this paper. What is cloning? According to the Human Cloning Foundation (HCF1998), cloning is a scientific process in which a strand of DNA from one organism with the egg cell of another which creates a genetically matched life form. The actual merging process between the cells is called Nuclear Transfer. In this process the nucleus of one donor cell is removed and placed into a lab dish and starved of nutrients; it is then placed into a lab dish with a fertilized egg cell. Naturally, the cell that was starved will try to fuse with the healthy cell but it will need a little help. These two cells are then electrified thereby causing the two cells to fuse together combining their genetic structures. Cloning / 3 Now that we have established the scientific basis of cloning, let me tell you how cloning can directly benefit humanity. There are many health issues that can be avoided, reversed and cured by the cloning of human cells and body parts. With the aid of cloning technology, couples that have suffered infertility would be able to have their own biological children. Cloning technology may potentially be used to completely reverse the effects of heart attacks. It is a distinct possibility that scientists will be able replace the heart tissue cells damaged during a heart attack by cloning the specific tissue cells and injecting them into damaged area of the heart, thus causing the tissue in those areas to regenerate. Considering that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S.(New England Journal of Medicine 1998), the implementation of these life saving techniques would be a major break through in the medical professions fight against heart disease. The fields of cosmetic, plastic and reconstructive surgery may also benefit from cloning technology. You may be aware that countless numbers of women are suffering from immune system diseases, due to breast augmentation and other cosmetic surgical procedures. According to the human cloning foundation (1999), women will no longer suffer diseases of their immune system due to breast implants and other cosmetic procedure's thanks to dermal tissue cloning techniques. Accident victims who have suffered deformity will no longer have to introduce foreign materials into their bodies, to repair damage. Amputees will be able to receive new limbs without the fear that the limb may be rejected by the body, it will be their own lost limb regenerated through the process of cloning. Cloning / 4 These new and innovative advances in reconstrctive surgery will allow doctors to repair or replace bone, fat , connective tissues, cartilage all through the process of cloning, the possibilities are virtually endless. Down's syndrome, cystic fibrosis, liver disease, kidney failure, Tay-Sachs disease and leukemia could all be eliminated through defective gene elimination; cancer could be irradicated as well. There are innumerable applications of cloning technology in the medical profession. To discount or ignore this technology would be a step backwards in the evolution of mankind. Concerning the legality of cloning, there are three states known to have banned human cloning, placing a five year moratorium until further studies can be conducted. California is among this group which also includes Rhode Island and Michigan. The penalties for violating the laws in the aforementioned states are very stiff. For instances, in California, if you are convicted of attempting to clone or successfully cloning a human being you will pay a one-million dollar fine, instantly and permanently lose your medical or professional license and serve up to ten years in state prison (HCF 1999). As far as the federal law is concerned, President Clinton recently enacted an executive order which banns the use of any federal funds toward cloning research (HFC 1999). The Food And Drug (FDA) has stated that it will not endorse or approve human cloning until such a time when cloning can be shown to be safe and effective. Although the federal and individual state governments are not willing to fund